The Call
by jclark775
Summary: Getting phone calls isn't unusual, we receive them from friends or family. They're a way of communicating with others, even if you can't see them in person. The content of the call can vary and depending what it is about it has the power to change your life. So, what happens when Robin receives a call in the middle of the night from an old friend in a life he thought he left behind
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello, I know I should be working on one of the other stories, but I was on YouTube watching videos, and I one video I watched was really good. It inspired me to write this.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.

_Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep._

_December 1_

The constant tone brought him from his slumber. He checked the time: it was 1:00 a.m. at Titan's Tower. Every member of the team had been asleep for hours, except for him. He had only gone to sleep an hour ago, but he didn't need much sleep, after all he was a bat.

Speaking of which…. It was his old communicator that was going off. The one from his life as Batman's sidekick, his protégé. The one that was only meant for dire emergencies. The one he hadn't touched since the last time he talked to Batman, which had ended in a fight to end all fights…. And communication between the "Dynamic Duo."

The fact that it was going off wasn't a good sign. Even when he was in crisis, Batman no longer used the communicator to call for Robin. This was serious.

_Beep beep beep. Beep, beep, beep. Beep beep beep._

Robin grabbed the communicator, put it in his ear and hit talk.

"Talk to me, what's the situation, Batman?" Robin said, voice deadly serious. Despite just waking up, Robin was able to be fully alert, thanks to his training courtesy of Batman.

Robin was surprised by what he heard: "You haven't been keeping up with Gotham news, have you?" came a feminine voice. It was Batgirl's voice, he could recognize it, anywhere.

"Not this week's news." Robin confirmed, "The Titans' have been busy this week. Why, what's the problem?" His nerves were starting to get tense, and he opened his laptop to look up Gotham's news for the week. That's when he saw it. In large, bold words read: "Batman missing in action." There were very few occasions where the Bat went missing in action, nearly none, and the only good reason was that he was off world, which Robin knew for a fact that he wasn't.

"What's happening in Gotham?" Robin said, quietly. His voice was practically a whisper.

"Joker's out of Arkham," Batgirl said, voice eerily silent, "and this time he got a lucky shot in."

_What?!_ That couldn't possibly be true. He's, he's _Batman_. _Batman_ always prevailed, _always_. But, it was the Joker, after all. That monster was by far Batman's greatest enemy, and Batgirl wouldn't lie about something like this.

"What's his condition?" Robin asked, calmly. The gravity of the situation was settling in on him. His heart rate was pulsating and his pulse was skyrocketing. Bruce couldn't die, he just couldn't. Especially not before they could make amends. He didn't want the hurtful words that he spoke to Bruce the last time they talked to be the last words they shared.

"He's still alive, he got help just in time." Batgirl informed him. It was a relief, he felt some of his tension dissipate, but he knew there was more to it, because Batgirl wouldn't have used to emergency signal if there wasn't. She would have called his cellphone.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked, worriedly. He could tell she was on edge, too. She was just as worried as he was, and he knew that it must have been hard for her to inform him of this development. She knew that this was something that he had to be told.

"He's – he's not waking up, Robin!" Batgirl's voice cracked. He could tell she needed someone to comfort her now.

"It'll be okay, Batgirl, it'll be okay." Robin said, trying to soothe her nerves, but he was also trying to calm himself, too. "Why isn't he waking up?"

"T-the doctors said that he went into a coma." Batgirl informed him, and his heart began to tremble. He knew just what that meant. "They don't have an estimate for when he'll wake up."

"I'll be there in a few hours." Robin decided, determinedly. He would get there, he would help Barbra, and he would be there when Bruce woke up. Even though it meant leaving his team, _he_ was _needed _in Gotham.

"What?" Batgirl was astonished. "You're coming back?"

"Yeah, Babs, I'm coming home." Robin informed, honest and seriously. "Joker is still on the loose, and you'll need some backup."

"Are you sure, Dick?" Batgirl asked, there was something in her voice. Was it _relief?_ It had been so long since someone had called him by his first name.

"Yeah," Robin said, "I'm going to be there when he wakes up." He added, determined.

"Gotham needs a Batman, even if it can't be Bruce right now."

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and if you're interested in watching the video, then it's titled "Batgirl/Robin Don't Forget" and if you like their video then you should give them a review, too. As always, I would love for you all you to give me a review to tell me your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for marking the story as favorite and following, I'm glad you liked it, but it would be good to have some reviews for feedback on what you like and your thoughts on the chapter.

**disclaimer:** I do not own the characters or the setting, they are property of DC.

Immediately after hanging up with Batgirl, Robin started to get ready. He got out of his bed to make it nice and neat. It wasn't his anymore, so, he wouldn't leave it messy. Not that he did before.

He was quick to remove any and all decorations in his room. He packed his family mementos, took down his newspaper clippings that lined the walls, packed any gadgets of his that he found into his suitcase, and anything else that belonged to him in his room was picked up and packed away. The only thing he left behind was a single costume. Looking at it made him remember the time when he had come back to find his whole team wearing his costumes. It had been a funny experience, and it made him smile, but he hadn't the time to be lost in his memories.

Now, he was certain that he had all of his belongings. Since he had everything, he was going to change into his civilian clothes, but before he did that he was going to leave his team a goodbye message. He grabbed the camera, turned it on and recorded his message. It took him a few minutes to think of what to say, but he felt the video message came out well. He saved his video message on a flash-drive and left the flash-drive on his bed. It was at this point that he chose to change into his civilian clothes.

Although Robin only wore his costume around the rest of his team, he, surprisingly enough, did own regular clothes. He went to bag that he packed his clothes into and decided to wear a green shirt, a brown jacket, blue jeans, some converse shoes, and some black sunglasses. To finish the look, he made his hair become messy. Now he wasn't "Robin" anymore, he was Dick Grayson.

He looked at the time, it was 2:30 a.m., and he needed to get going soon. He snuck his bags down to the tower's garage and grabbed his R-cycle. The rest of the Titans didn't know this, but his R-cycle had hidden storage compartments and a camouflage feature. He put his bags in the storage compartments and activated the camouflage, which made the motorcycle turn black.

He felt bad, of course, about leaving the Titans, especially while they slept, but if he tried to leave while they were awake then they wouldn't let him go. Either that or they would try to come with him, and _that_ was not happening. Gotham is too dangerous for them to go there, not to mention that people with powers aggravated the villains in the city. Plus, it'd be a dead giveaway that something was wrong with Batman.

He walked his motorcycle out the door, shut the garage, looked back at the tower, and fired up the motorcycle. He knew that no one else would be up until at least eight o'clock. He had always been the first to wake up by a couple hours.

He had made sure to deactivate his Titan communicator. He didn't need nor did he want them to track him down. With that, he put his Bat-communicator in his ear and his motorcycle helmet over his head. Robin used his motorcycle's hover mode to get over the water, and, once he got to the land, he switched it back to its normal mode and drove off to Gotham city.

He had a long ride ahead of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and thank you for reviewing. If you have any suggestions or anything, I'm open for suggestions.

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Tower

To say the least, Raven had been surprised. She was the first one to wake up and come to the living room of the Tower. She was _never_ the first awake. Robin always woke up first. She looked at the time: it was 8:30 in the morning. She tried to hide her small sliver of a smile: _"I beat you today, Bird Boy."_ She thought to herself, triumphantly.

Only ten minutes later, Raven heard the door open and, without turning around, replied "Sleeping in today? That's unlike you."

"What do you mean, Raven?" Came Cyborg's deep-voiced, confused response "I woke up early today."

"Huh?" Raven responded as she turned and saw he half robotic friend/teammate. _That's odd._ "Sorry, I was expecting Robin."

"What? You mean he isn't up yet?" Cyborg asked, surprised. Everyone knew he was the first to wake up, despite how late he went to sleep. "Are you sure he isn't training in the gym?"

"I didn't check." Raven replied, "But he usually finishes before we all wake up."

"Maybe he is sleeping in, today?" Came a younger, less deep voice. _Beast boy._

On the outside, Raven didn't show any emotion, but on the inside he had surprised her. She had no idea when he came out, but he was there. The changeling was in the shape of a green cat, and he was laying down by the foot of the team's sofa.

"He did go to bed even later than usual last night, didn't he?" Beast boy asked.

"I don't know, we were all asleep." Cyborg responded.

"Do you think we should check up on him?" Beast boy asked.

"_You_ can, I don't have a death wish, and I don't plan on having Robin kill me for waking him up." Cyborg stated incredulously as he went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

The room had stayed quiet for another ten minutes until Starfire, the team's resident red-haired alien.

"Good morning, friends!" Came Starfire's cheerful greeting.

"Mornin', Star." Came Beast Boy's and Cyborg's voice from the kitchen.

Starfire looked around the room and noticed the one team member missing, their leader Robin.

"Where is friend Robin?" Starfire asked, surprised.

"We think he's asleep in his room." Raven answered, casually, as she turned another page in her book.

"I shall go wake him, so we can all partake in eating together" Starfire replied, as she flew out of the room and back into the hall.

"Should we stop her?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.

"Nah, those two are close, he wouldn't grouch at he too badly." Cyborg responded, "Or, at least, I don't think he would."

When a couple minutes passed without Starfire returning, with or without Robin, the trio in the living room decided to investigate. The group walked down the hall and to where they knew Robin's room was located. Outside the room, they saw a distraught Starfire outside the room, knocking repeatedly on the door. That's when she noticed the rest of the team.

"Friend Robin is not responding." Starfire answered their unasked question.

"What do you mean he's not responding? You're knocked loud enough to wake the dead." Cyborg said as he gave a look at the door, which now had a few dents. Robin probably wouldn't like that.

Raven glanced at the door, but she didn't feel anyone on the other side.

"I don't think he's in there." She announced.

"If he's not there, not training and not in the living room, then where else would he be?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know, but something feels… weird." Raven said. "I'm going to open the door."

"You're going to go in _Robin's_ room?!" Cyborg said in disbelief. "You know no one is allowed in Robin's room."

It was too late. Raven had already began her spell, and the doors glowed black. Suddenly, they were pulled open by her energy, and what was on the other side of the door surprised everyone.

There was nothing. Their leader's room was completely cleared out.

"No way." Beast Boy whispered as he walked into the room.

"What happened here?" Cyborg asked.

"Everything's gone." Came Starfire's disbelieving tone.

"Not everything." Raven said, looking on Robin's bed. The whole team saw it. A simple, red flash-drive.

I'm going to check what's on it." Cyborg announced as he picked it up, carried it to the monitor in the main room, and plugged it in. When he opened the files listing for the flash-drive, he only saw one file on it whose name was "To the Titans." _"Huh?"_ he thought to himself.

"The only thing on it is a video file named 'To the Titans.'" Cyborg informed the team.

"Play it!" Beast Boy said, eagerly.

"I'm on it." Cyborg informed them as he started the video

On the Tower's big monitor, Robin's figure suddenly appeared sitting on his bed, in his costume, and staring at the camera. Face as unreadable as ever, Robin looked straight at them through the screen.

"Hello, everyone." Robin said, voice as steady as steel. "I suppose you wonder why I'm not there."

_Yes_ they were all wondering what was happening.

"I can't lead the Titans anymore." He said, calmly. That sent a shock through everyone. "I'm no longer your leader. I'm passing the title down to Cyborg. I know he can handle it. Good bye, everyone" and with that the video ended.

Everyone was speechless. Several minutes passed by before anyone could say anything.

"What just happened?" Beast Boy's stunned reply came first.

"Did…. Did Robin just resign?" Raven asked.

"Why would friend Robin leave?" Came Starfire's confused question.

Each of them turned to Cyborg, who was apparently the new leader. He was still stunned.

"Cy, you all right?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg looked shell-shocked and about to faint.

"Give him some room." Raven told the other two. "Just stay calm, Cyborg."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dick Grayson drove through Gotham's snow covered streets. He was freezing, but he was also close to home. It was practically in sight. His thoughts had been wandering ever slightly to Alfred, Barbra, Jason and Bruce. How much had changed since he left?

He entered the manor's gates and pulled up to the door. He had almost forgot how amazing his home was, and he had also forgot how amazing Alfred was, too, because right before he even knocked Alfred already had it open and was offering him a cup of hot cocoa.

"Thanks, Alfred." Dick said as he accepted the cup with a small smile. There was nothing like having a fresh cup of Alfred's cocoa.

"You're welcome, and welcome home, Master Richard." Alfred said with a warm smile. "Bruce is in his room, and Miss Gordon is comforting Master Jason."

"I'm going to check on Bruce." Dick said as he hurried through the manor, while Alfred went to inform Barbra and Jason of the other bat's arrival.

When he got into the room, he didn't like what he saw. There laid the man he considered a father in what appeared to be a casual night's sleep, but he knew that wasn't what it was. He walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"They probably had to pull a lot of strings to allow you to be taken care of in your own home." Dick stated, voice slightly downcast. "Listen, Bruce, if you can hear me, then I want to make amends for the last time we spoke to each other." His voice almost felt the need to crack.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said. I know you were only looking out for me, and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that." He looked at his father again. "You better wake up soon, so I can tell you this to your face, but until then I'll take over for you. I'll make sure Joker gets what he deserves."

With that, Dick walked to the living room to join the others.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Dick." Barbra said, with a small smile.

"I could say the same you, Babs." Dick returned with a matching smile. "And you, too, Jason."

"Dick, I can't believe you're back!" Jason said as he ran into his brother's arms.

"Sorry that it's been so long," Dick said, regretful," I wish that it would've been under better circumstances."

"It's okay, you're here now." Barbra said, her voice radiating with kindness. She was just how he remembered. They were all just how he remembered.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the story, and, if you did, then please review the story. Reviews are always fun to read, and they can influence the flow of the story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All characters are property of DC

**A/N:** I'm sorry for how long it took me to update, but I think today is a fitting day for this chapter.

Also, in this story Dick is 18.

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February 2

Commissioner Gordon flipped the switch and brought the bat-signal to life. He knew more than most people thought he did. He knew more than his own daughter thought he did. He knew exactly who Batman was, and he knew who Batgirl was too, of course. She was his daughter after all. He wasn't surprised when he had put two and two together to make four and found out that Batman was the city's 'White Knight,' Bruce Wayne. He wasn't surprised at all, however, when his signal was answered by a Batgirl, a Robin, and a _Batman_, well, _that_ had surprised him.

"Batman," Commissioner Gordon said casually.

"Commissioner," Batman greeted. "_He seems so familiar, but why?"_ Gordon thought to himself. It would be the first of many greetings the Commissioner would share with the new Bat.

"Killer Croc is on the loose."

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Even though he had been gone for so long, they still fought well together. Batman and Batgirl fell back into routine and the newest Robin had found his place in it. Robin would attack using his acrobats and bo-staff, Batgirl would cover Robin whenever he left an opening in the defense, and Batman would go in for the knockout. Not all battles went that way, they did do their own fights, too, but they worked together whenever they were uncertain.

Of course, several of the villains caught on that this Batman was not their Batman. He was similar, but he definitely was not the same.

"_You're not the Bat, where is he?!"_

"_Did the Bat finally bite the dust?"_

"_You think you can replace the original? You're second rate at best."_

Dick Grayson was sitting at the batcave's computer chair and looking at some files on the monitor, the florescent light shining on his uncovered face, because his cowl was down. He was looking into some recent cases to try to find out what happened and who did them. Of course, he was working on this at two a.m. and had to be at work at six.

"Someone's a busy bee." He heard the familiar voice call from behind him. It was Barbara.

"What was it that Bruce used to say? Justice never sleeps?" Dick replied with a smirk back to her.

"Justice never does sleep, but Dick Grayson needs to." She said caringly as she walked up behind him as she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and put her face right next to his. She, herself, was wearing her Batgirl suit.

"I'll be fine, but I have to admit that Bruce deserves props for what he did on a daily basis." Dick said, slightly distracted by the woman now leaning on him. "It's not easy running Wayne Industries and keeping crime down in the city."

"If anyone can handle it, it's you guys." She told him, supportively. "But, I think it's time for Batman and Dick to get some rest so you can get through the day."

"And what about you? I think Batgirl and Barbara could use some sleep, too." Dick responded, rising to his feet and dragging her up with him. "We have plenty of room for you up stairs."

"I'll go but only if you carry me." She said with a large grin on her face. Her smile was almost as big as it would be if she had received some of Joker's gas.

"Have to do it the hard way, don't you?" Dick said as he rotated his chair to have her in front of him and picked her up bridal style.

"It wouldn't be as much fun any other way." She replied. She held onto him as he carried her up the steps to the mansion.

"I can't imagine that Mr. Gordon is too happy with his daughter spending the night at a 'playboy billionaire's son's residence'." Dick said, casually.

"He knows that neither you nor Bruce are anything like that." Barbara responded, quick as a whip. "He likes you, and he knows that you guys need a little help around here."

"Well that's reassuring, wouldn't want him to hate me." Dick replied as they reached their destination. After he got them to the top of the stairwell, he started to run as fast as he could. She held him tighter and tried to contain her laughter, because she didn't want to wake Jason or Alfred.

"Go faster, Dick!" She laughed out as she identified where he was planning on taking her, it was his room.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" He huffed out. She saw the door come into sight and he slowed down. Once he got to the door, he set her back on to her own two feet. "Welcome to the casa de Grayson."

"I'm sure I'll be having an enjoyable stay." Barbara purred into his ear. Dick was about to respond but he was beaten to the punch: "It's quite nice of you, Master Grayson, to allow Ms. Gordon to sleep in your room while she stays the night here." Alfred said, respectfully. It was almost as if he materialized out of nowhere.

"And I'm sure she appreciates you escorting her here to wish her good night, because you will be sleeping in another room."

Barbara and Dick both were stunned and tensed but nervously laughed. "Right, right, Alfred, that's exactly what was happening." Dick responded, nervously.

"Yeah, yeah it was." Barbara replied. She turned back towards Dick and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for the ride."

"You're welcome." Dick said back.

"Now, Master Grayson, let's take you to where you're going to be sleeping tonight." Dick's grandfather-figure said, guiding him away. Dick turned back towards Barbara and mouthed "See you later" at her. She smile and mouthed "Can't wait" back. "Where you will be sleeping _for the remainder of the night_." Alfred informed him.

It wasn't until they had walked down the hall that Dick broke the silence: "Do you mind if I stop by Bruce's room before going to bed?"

"I don't see why not." Alfred responded to him. It has been two months, and he knew that Dick visited his foster-father as a nightly routine, even when he didn't go to sleep. "Just be sure to get some sleep. Master Bruce wouldn't want you running yourself ragged."

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To say Dick was tired would be an understatement, he felt drained of all energy. He really should've slept more than three hours, but he felt the need to tell Bruce all about his day, every day. He kept Bruce caught up on everything from Wayne Industries information, to Batman information, to family information and jokes. He wasn't planning on going out on patrol, but when his phone rang and Babs asked him out for dinner that evening he decided that he _definitely_ wouldn't be going on patrol. Gotham could do without him for one night, besides all the major villains were currently locked up.

"Dinner sounds good, Babs, want me to pick you up at seven?" Dick spoke confidently into the phone.

"Yeah, but you get to pick where we eat, surprise me." He could practically hear the smile in her voice.

"Aren't I always full of surprises?" He smiled.

"I can read you like a book, Bat Brain." Her smile intensified.

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**A/N:** Happy Valentine's day, everyone! I hope you enjoy your day and that you liked the chapter.


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